In recent times the use of corn as silage in a so-called corn-cob mix has become increasingly popular. Such silage is produced by stripping the ears of corn off the cornstalk, then husking the ears, and then chopping up these husked ears into fragments formed of pieces of cob and kernels. These fragments are used directly, without drying, as a high-protein low-fiber animal food.
Normally such silage is produced by harvesting the ears of corn with a standard agricultural machine capable of separating the ears off the cornstalks, and by later running the ears through a husking and chopping machine at the barn. Thus two separate machines and two separate handling operations must be employed so that the cost of the feed is increased considerably as is the likelihood of a breakdown.
It has been suggested to chop the ears of corn directly in the field. This, however, is normally considered unsatisfactory because the husks of the ears of corn must be chopped with and left with the chopped corn cobs and kernels. The husks themselves are extremely fibrous and not normally desired in a high-quality corn-cob mix.